Improvement in grain and gfiass harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

G. SANFORD, T. HULL, AND S. HULL, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN AND GRASS HARVESTERS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 14J27, dated January 15, 1856.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, GELsToN SANFORD, THOMAS HULL, and STEPHEN HULL, of Pou ghkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain and Grass Harvesters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specificatiomin which- Figure l is a side View of ourimprovenient. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the wheel which supports the outer end of the platform. Fig. 4 is a detached front view of the platform.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The nature of our invention consists in having the axis of the driving-wheel of the machine hung eccentrically in circular movable bearings, by turning which the frame of the machine and the sickle may be raised and lowered.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the frame of the machine, in which the driving-wheel B is placed. C C represent circular eyes or straps, which are secured upon bars a a yof the frame A. In each eye or strap there is placed a circular piece of metal, b, which forms bearings forthe axis D of the driving-wheel B. The ends of the axis D are placed in the bearings b eccentrically, or between their centers and peripheries, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

To the outer sides of the bearings b metal bars E E are attached, one to each. The outer ends of the barsl E E are connected, as shown in Fig. 2.

The inner periphery of the driving-wheel B is cogged, and a pinion, F, attached to the end of a shaft, G, gears into the driving-wheel'B.

A toothed wheel, H, on the shaft G gears into a pinion, I, on a shaft, J, which has a crankpulley, K, on one end. The shafts G J work in bearings attached to the frame A.

L is a pitman, one end of which is attached to the crank-pulley K, and the opposite end is attached to an arm, c, which projects horizontally from a shaft,M,in the frame A. An arm, d, is attached to the lower end of the shaft M at right angles with the arm O, and a pitman,

N, is attached to the 'end of thearm d, and one end of the sickle O,which is of usual construction and works within ngers e, attached to a nger-bar,f, which is secured to the frontend of a platform, P. The platform Pis attached by bars Q to the frame A. To the outer end of the nger-barf there'is attached a runner, R, of the usual form, in which one end of a spring, S, is secured, said spring being allowed a certain degree of play vertically in the runner It. The outer end of the spring S is attached to a small frame, T, in which the axis of a wheel, U, is fitted, the wheel U being directly back of the runner and underneath the back part of the spring. (See Fig. 3.) The inner side of the platform P has a spring, V, attached to it, the outer end of which projects beyond the side of the platform, andhas an upright slotted arm, W, attached to it.

X is a wheel, the axis g of which is fitted in the slotted arm W, and is secured therein at proper points by a nut, h, which is fitted on one end of the axis g. Yis a set-screw, which passes vertically through a plate, Z, attached to the side of the platform, the lower end of the set-screw bearin g upon the spring V. (See Fig. 4.)

Operation: When the bearings b of the driving-wheel are in the position as indicated by Fig. 1 the sickle O will be near the surface of the ground, because the axis D of the driving-wheel B will be at the farthest points from the frame A above it; but if the bearings b b be turned in the eyes or straps G C by moving the bars E E around, as indicated in red, Fig. 1, the axis D will be brought at the nearest points to the frame A and the frame and sickle will be elevated. When the frame A is elevated the wheel X is depressed by forcing down the spring V by turning the set-screw Y, and the wheel U is depressed by forcing down the spring S in the runner It, the spring being kept in proper position by a pin, h.` The wheels X U are depressedwhen the frame A and platform are raised, in order that the wheels may support the platform at its proper height from the ground. The wheel X may also be further adjusted by raising or lowering the axis g in the slotted arm W.

The above invention is extremely simple and valuable, for in cutting grass the sickle is kept near the surface of the ground, and in cutting grain the sickle is elevated, as grain is cut somewhat farther from the surface of the ground than grass. By merely turning the bars E E the frame, platform, and sickle may be elevated or depressed in a moment of time, and by turning the bearings b b one-quarter of a revolution Jche pinion F on the shafts Gr will be lLhrown out of gear with the drivingwheel B, and the machine maybe drawn along from one place to another Wit-hout Iche sickle being operated. The bearings b b are retained in proper position by a pin, a', which is attached to the end of a spring, b,on one of the bars E, the spring forcing thc pin into holes in the bearing.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Placing or hanging t-he axis D of the drivin g-Wheel B in circular bearings b b, which are allowed to turn in eyes or straps on a, attached to the frame A, the vaxis being placed eccentrically or out of center in the bearings b, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

GELSTON SANFORD. THOMAS HULL.

STEPHEN HULL. Witnesses:

JAMES C. VooRHEEs, A. M. BRUSH. 

